- Joined
- Jul 23, 2015
- Messages
- 16,113
When I was young, I read a book by Kevin Trudeau called "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About" and one thing he suggested that wasn't laughable to me was go visit a chiropractor, even if you don't think you need one.
Well, I had an active lifestyle, and was pretty fit so I was convinced that it couldn't hurt, and benefits at work (this was over ten years ago now) covered a portion, so why not? I had an active life style, what did I have to lose.
I tried one chiropractor I met through martial arts only to be given the hard and fast sell by his colleague and him nowhere in sight. And with no education other than, and I paraphrase "you seriously need this, and we presuppose you're in it for the long haul, and oh here is the price going forward, and by the way, you though you were getting a free assessment, but we're disabusing you of that notion now with this hefty bill for telling you nothing other than 'trust us, you need us'". Needless to say I left with no delay nor a penny less.
I was up front with the next one, who came recommended by another friend. I told him about that experience, and he assured me (as had my friend, whom I told first) he had nothing of the sort in mind, and walked me through his process. It sounded logical and comprehensive with consideration of the patient's right to understand (to a point). Here is where I learned of scoliosis affecting my posture, and even though I hadn't felt the need, nor debilitated in any way, in light of my reading of the aforesaid book, I saw him for at least a year. And after a period of time away, I returned another few months.
I always felt good after. I just treated the whole thing as another part of the physical culture lifestyle, because the adjustment itself was very much the least time of the whole thing. There were appropriate warmups beforehand while every one waited together. And then afterwards he prescribed exercises for 10-15 minutes immediately following the adjustment once my turn came up. These often included a head weight and perhaps a belt I recall. Essentially, he was helping me strengthen and reinforce the muscles and posture that should go with the new alignment of my spine. One thing I really miss is the wobble chair, and neck traction.
I once told one of the chiropractor's aids one time that I could crack my own back, and was told not to. The aid said it's bad and dangerous, and it sounded like scare tactics more than a legitimately concerned warning. Because the thing is, those adjustments loosened things enough, and the exercises and "homework" he prescribed along with muscle memory have left me able to do it on my own, on the fly, whenever I start to feel out of alignment. But I can really make a creaky sound. And with my knees, too. But it's been this way since I can remember. Maybe part of scoliosis? It never occurred to me when I was young that might be why I was fidgeting and cracking knuckles. I wouldn't have even heard of it.
In fact it was the chiropractor who told me not to crack my knuckles. I said, "why ever not, surely it's a wives tail that it will give you arthritis?", and he said because it compresses the knuckles. He said any joint is at greater risk if it is exposed to greater compression. So I asked him "what about this?" and I pulled one of my fingers producing a satisfying crack, and alleviating some pressure I felt in my hand. He said he had no problem with the idea of decompressing a joint, as long as it was not pulled out of joint.
Anyway, I once told someone about the adjustments, and he proposed to me that I had damaged my body, and it would come back to haunt me. He said that chiropractors separate joints that are supposed to be fused, but I don't think so. My sacral spine is fused as it should be, but now I can crack my back if it feels too compressed or out of alignment. It feels like I'm decompressing them and it can provide relief especially after too long in one position. But then I usually have to fine tune something else, like pulling on a couple fingers, cracking my jaw, or stretching my leg until I get the right pop in my knee. I provisionally attribute this floating anomaly to the scoliosis, which makes, full and perfect postural alignment an impossibility for me. When I am sufficiently warmed up I don't feel it because everything fits better and more easily until I cool down again.
So, cricketty creakitty crackitty, that's the sound of my posterior chain.
Et vous?
Well, I had an active lifestyle, and was pretty fit so I was convinced that it couldn't hurt, and benefits at work (this was over ten years ago now) covered a portion, so why not? I had an active life style, what did I have to lose.
I tried one chiropractor I met through martial arts only to be given the hard and fast sell by his colleague and him nowhere in sight. And with no education other than, and I paraphrase "you seriously need this, and we presuppose you're in it for the long haul, and oh here is the price going forward, and by the way, you though you were getting a free assessment, but we're disabusing you of that notion now with this hefty bill for telling you nothing other than 'trust us, you need us'". Needless to say I left with no delay nor a penny less.
I was up front with the next one, who came recommended by another friend. I told him about that experience, and he assured me (as had my friend, whom I told first) he had nothing of the sort in mind, and walked me through his process. It sounded logical and comprehensive with consideration of the patient's right to understand (to a point). Here is where I learned of scoliosis affecting my posture, and even though I hadn't felt the need, nor debilitated in any way, in light of my reading of the aforesaid book, I saw him for at least a year. And after a period of time away, I returned another few months.
I always felt good after. I just treated the whole thing as another part of the physical culture lifestyle, because the adjustment itself was very much the least time of the whole thing. There were appropriate warmups beforehand while every one waited together. And then afterwards he prescribed exercises for 10-15 minutes immediately following the adjustment once my turn came up. These often included a head weight and perhaps a belt I recall. Essentially, he was helping me strengthen and reinforce the muscles and posture that should go with the new alignment of my spine. One thing I really miss is the wobble chair, and neck traction.
I once told one of the chiropractor's aids one time that I could crack my own back, and was told not to. The aid said it's bad and dangerous, and it sounded like scare tactics more than a legitimately concerned warning. Because the thing is, those adjustments loosened things enough, and the exercises and "homework" he prescribed along with muscle memory have left me able to do it on my own, on the fly, whenever I start to feel out of alignment. But I can really make a creaky sound. And with my knees, too. But it's been this way since I can remember. Maybe part of scoliosis? It never occurred to me when I was young that might be why I was fidgeting and cracking knuckles. I wouldn't have even heard of it.
In fact it was the chiropractor who told me not to crack my knuckles. I said, "why ever not, surely it's a wives tail that it will give you arthritis?", and he said because it compresses the knuckles. He said any joint is at greater risk if it is exposed to greater compression. So I asked him "what about this?" and I pulled one of my fingers producing a satisfying crack, and alleviating some pressure I felt in my hand. He said he had no problem with the idea of decompressing a joint, as long as it was not pulled out of joint.
Anyway, I once told someone about the adjustments, and he proposed to me that I had damaged my body, and it would come back to haunt me. He said that chiropractors separate joints that are supposed to be fused, but I don't think so. My sacral spine is fused as it should be, but now I can crack my back if it feels too compressed or out of alignment. It feels like I'm decompressing them and it can provide relief especially after too long in one position. But then I usually have to fine tune something else, like pulling on a couple fingers, cracking my jaw, or stretching my leg until I get the right pop in my knee. I provisionally attribute this floating anomaly to the scoliosis, which makes, full and perfect postural alignment an impossibility for me. When I am sufficiently warmed up I don't feel it because everything fits better and more easily until I cool down again.
So, cricketty creakitty crackitty, that's the sound of my posterior chain.
Et vous?
